Werewolf Attack! ETech 2006

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Originally uploaded by Mattijn.

Headed next week to San Diego for O'Reilly's 2006 Emerging Technologies conference? Then put the Tuesday night special event, a Werewolf Game hosted by yours truly, on your calendar right now. Or you WILL be devoured by flesh-hungry technologists before you can say "full moon."

My co-conspirator Artur Bergman, one of the world's most dangerous hackers, and I are leading the special event.

It's going to be classic Werewolf play with a couple of extra elements designed to help us test the individual intuition and collective intelligence of the players.

Each round, every player will receive a blank Blink card and a blank Wisdom card, in addition to their role card (werewolf, villager, or seer.)

Before anyone is eaten or lynched, the game will begin with every player, one at a time, stating for the group: "I am not a werewolf." Then, using only their Blinkiest intuition and instincts, each player will fill out their Blink card with the name of someone they suspect is a Werewolf. (Werewolves will write down their guess of who the Seer is.) These cards are collected by the moderator, and then the game continues.

Whenever a player is eaten or lynched, they have a second chance to make a guess. Before leaving the circle, the player will write down the name of someone they suspect is a remaining Werewolf. (Werewolves write down the name of who they suspect is/was the seer.) Cards are given to the moderator.

At the end of the game, we will find out from the Blink cards: Who has the best intuition about other players? We will ask them for their strategies for reading other players. From the Wisdom cards we will learn: Does the group as a whole know more than they are able to collectively act on in the mob-mentality environment?

You are invited to be a part of this very playful research event. See you there!

(Oh, and if you're not going to Etech-- there will be unofficial games at SXSW and GDC this March as well. Come find me...)